Ocean Beach Historical Society program
The Ocean Beach Historical Society will present “Read the Book Before You Fly ‘Em” by Karen Scanlon 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19 at Point Loma United Methodist Church, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd.
Point Loma’s Jack Allen Davis Jr. wanted to fly airplanes. And fly ‘em he did! This high-flying speculator bought and sold World War II surplus aircraft with daring competence. Davis was a local boy who learned to fly at age 14 with Gibbs Flying Service. “Old Bill Gibbs turned me loose on an old Piper Cub,” Davis bragged. Flying drama, to be sure, but Davis also left his mark as Shelter Island began to take shape in the early 1950s. He built and operated Red Sails Inn and later, Palomar Airport. Come and hear more about this adventurous fellow, and enjoy photographs of his airplanes and zest for the San Diego waterfront.
Scanlon is a freelance writer, historian, and early childhood educator who writes extensively on the maritime history of San Diego, particularly of Point Loma Lighthouse and the explosion aboard USS Bennington. In another direction are Scanlon’s published works in children’s curriculum, and stories about people. She is a volunteer at Cabrillo National Monument and works with her twin sister, Kim, tending the Fresnel lenses in its collection. The two co-authored a book titled Lighthouses of San Diego. Karen is a contributing member of La Playa Trail Association and Maritime Museum of San Diego, and the proud recipient of The Martha Washington Medal, awarded by the Sons of the American Revolution.
Halloween festival
A Halloween Family Fall Festival will take place 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3598 Talbot St. in Westminster Park behind the church. Activities include trunk or treat, crafts, cake walk, costume contest, and at 7 p.m., a viewing of ”Hocus Pocus!”
OB Canine Carnival
Dogs get their own "Howl-O-Ween" party in Ocean Beach at the 12th annual Ocean Beach Canine Carnival on Saturday, Oct. 21. The carnival takes place at Dusty Rhodes Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Attendance is free. There is a small charge, $7 for an individual dog, $10 for groups of dogs or floats, to register for the costume parade.
Local pooches dressed as angels, lobsters, pirates, bananas, and anything else their owners can think of, will parade and win prizes.
Registration is available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The parade starts at 1:30 p.m. and runs to 2:30 p.m. Prizes are announced around 3 p.m. Prizes range from the standard “Best in Show” to the goofy “Dog Better Dressed than Owner,” “Most OB-like.” There is also a doggie-themed craft fair, as well as games and food. The event is put on by the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach. For information, visit email oceanbeachkiwanis@gmail.com for information.
Maritime Museum’s new ghost tales
Maritime Museum of San Diego, home to one of the world’s finest collections of historic vessels, has created a new Halloween event that any aspiring ghost, goblin, pirate, and princess will enjoy. Guests will gather on the Star of India, the world’s oldest active sailing ship, for lantern-led tours to hear eerie legends of Star’s past Oct. 21 and 28 from 6 to 10 p.m.
Evenings will be full of ghostly tales of enormous proportions including how young John Campbell fell to his death from the rigging and more creepy events. All activities will take place at the Maritime Museum of San Diego in downtown San Diego on the Embarcadero. The museum closes at 8 p.m. offering visitors an opportunity to visit all ships in the collection before evening Halloween activities. Tickets are $9-$18 and include general admission to the Museum plus lantern led tours. Advance tickets are available at www.sdmaritime.org after Labor Day. Visitors can call 619-234-9153 ext. 101 for more information.
Bike for Boobs
One local breast cancer survivor plans to paint Point Loma pink for the fifth year in a row. Sandy Hanshaw, owner of The Wine Pub and The Coffee Hub, announces the return of her bike ride and celebration – Bike for Boobs. Hanshaw brought Bike for Boobs to life in San Diego in 2013 as she underwent treatment for stage-three breast cancer. On Sunday, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m., dozens of pink-adorned supporters will grab bikes and join the San Diego County Bike Coalition for a casual ride around Shelter Island. Following the ride, guests will reunite at The Pub’s enchanting outdoor patio for live music, gourmet food, auction items and, of course, wine.
Beach cleanup
On Sunday, Sept. 17, La Jolla-based Everyday California held a beach cleanup, bringing local companies together for a good cause in Ocean Beach. In addition to Everyday California, employees of San Diego-based companies, such as Blenders Eyewear, Pura Vida, Social Syndicate and Crowe PR scoured Ocean Beach (from the pier to the dog beach) for two hours before gathering at OB Surf Lodge for lunch and raffles.
Donated prizes included sunglasses, kayak tours, hotel stays, and more. OB Surf Lodge created specialty cocktails, such as the Wave Storm, proceeds of which went directly to cause. Raffle ticket and food and drinks proceeds raised nearly $2,500 for the Wingman Foundation, an organization whose mission is, “To honor the sacrifices of our fallen air warriors and support the families they’ve left behind.”
First flu death of season reported in San Diego
An 86-year-old San Diego man died of complications due to influenza and is the first local, flu-related death reported this season, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency announced today. The unvaccinated man, who had existing medical conditions, tested positive for influenza A. He died on Oct. 1 after a brief hospitalization. Last season, the first flu death occurred Oct. 4, and 86 other San Diego County residents died from influenza, including two children.
So far this season, 203 lab-confirmed influenza cases have been reported, compared to 60 at this same point last year. The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older get a flu vaccine every year. The current flu vaccines offer protection against pandemic H1N1, as well as influenza A H3N2 and influenza B strains.
Kindergarten tours
Loma Portal Elementary kindergarten tours for the 2018-2019 school year are set for 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 17. Sign up for a tour at www.sandiegounified.org/lomaportal.
OB photo contest
The Ocean Beach Town Council has started a "Share Your OB" photo contest. To enter just tag your best photos of OB with #shareyourOB and post on Instagram or Facebook. Winner receives bragging rights and is entered in a monthly drawing for some cool swag. Each Saturday, a new winner will be announced. So get out there and #shareyourOB.

Two dwellings in the Peninsula and one in Pacific Beach are among 10 sustainable homes to be showcased in the eighth annual self-guided Green Homes Tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22 sponsored by the San Diego Green Build Council.
The home tour brings together hundreds of members to celebrate best practices in green building and design, while showcasing the innovative work of some of the industry’s top professionals.
The diverse projects include sustainably-constructed or remodeled single-family residences, urban multifamily developments and many projects that are GreenPoint Rated or LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified.
Attendees may visit as many of the homes as they like, meet with industry professionals and homeowners, and learn more about the latest green home design, construction and upgrade options. Each eco-friendly project features innovative, high-performance design features, including impact areas such as energy and water conservation, building materials, indoor air quality, landscaping and sustainable building sites.
SDGBC is an environmental nonprofit dedicated to providing education, outreach and advocacy focused on green building in San Diego.
Green homes include:
- LeCase Ecovillage (835 Tourmaline St., Pacific Beach) – Five residences on two urban lots designed to facilitate a more environmentally conscious communal lifestyle, with a community garden using permaculture techniques, rainwater catchment system, rapidly renewable cork flooring, recycled denim insulation, whole-house ventilation systems and a vegetated roof.
- 3 on Abbott (2185 Abbott St., Ocean Beach) – Unique three-unit residential project was efficiently pre-fabricated (factory-built) for safe, quick and efficient construction and significantly reduced building material waste. Building features include engineered bamboo flooring, ultra-low VOC content, rapidly renewable materials, tankless water heaters, daylighting and natural cross-ventilation, Energy Star appliances and xeriscape landscaping.
- O’Brien residence (4424 Algeciras St., Ocean Beach) – This GreenPoint Rated home underwent a whole-house remodel and addition and features a high-efficiency furnace and water heater, energy-efficient windows, advanced waterproofing systems, solar power system, low-water landscape, drip irrigation and extensive use of sustainable and recycled materials.
Three on Abbot was a first-time development effort by Pedro Tavares of R&S Tavares Associates Inc. and his parents, whose small firm designs and engineers prefabricated projects.
“Manufactured in and shipped from Corona, Calif., these homes were built under extremely rigid constraints imposed by local zoning,” said Tavares.
“They are about 840 square feet each, a block from Dog Beach. They are very unique in terms of modular structures in that they contain balloon-framed loft spaces, a large roof deck with panoramic views of the water and Portuguese cobblestone to create the Copacabana Boardwalk pattern on the driveways.”
Tavares added most of his project's green features “are just common sense” — engineered bamboo flooring, rapidly renewable material, tankless heat pump water heaters,
Daylighting and cross ventilation, Energy Star appliances and xeriscaped landscaping.
Suzi O'Brien, interior designer/owner, EcoLux Interiors, speaking about her home tour project at 4424 Algeciras St. in Sunset Cliffs, said doing sustainable architecture is increasingly getting less and less expensive.
“It used to be very much more expensive, but nowadays, not so much, if you put in things that are going to save energy like solar panels and systems that reuse water from your shower to use in your garden,” O'Brien said. “Stuff like that saves water over the long haul.”
Regarding LeCase EcoVillage, on Tourmaline Street, owner Daniela Carpano, said, “It's more than just a green building, it is green life. It's not limited to features of the home. We installed a 'cool' roof that absorbs heat and stays much cooler. You are very comfortable without any need of A/C.”
LeCase EcoVillage is two adjacent lots with four buildings on it with four families sharing garden and common spaces.
“Green features are in the garden with rain harvesting creating a sustainable environment: That's the whole mission,” said Carpano.
Tour cost for San Diego Green Building Council members is $10 and non-members is $15. Students are $5 (with I.D.) and children under 18 are free. Tickets are available now at usgbc-sd.org/event-2547926.

Casual — not corporate.
That was the message conveyed in a recent community letter on the behalf of Obecians urging Minnesota-based corporate Target not to put a proposed store in the 18,000-square-foot Antique Center building in the 4800 block of Newport Avenue.
“OB means community,” the letter reads. “It means local shops and lively culture. It means flare and it means funky, pride and positive vibes … not a Target Express on Newport Avenue directly threatening what it means to be OB. Join our fight to keep it out.”
The community letter also alleges: “This act of corporate intrusion violates the city-adopted Ocean Beach Community Plan in many ways, such as preserving the community character, supporting local business growth, promoting a pedestrian-friendly commercial district, and complying with parking requirements. Our mission is to uphold the charm and independence of Ocean Beach by preventing Target Express from opening and ruining our lovely enclave of awesome.”
A Target Express is a downsized version of the original Target store introduced by the chain across the country in a variety of sizes and assortments. The new store model is meant to create a more locally relevant big-box experience in urban areas.
There has been a lot of activity in OB discussing and/or protesting the arrival of a corporate target. On Wednesday, Oct. 4, during the Farmers Market, a community rally and press conference was held at the foot of Newport Avenue. And another two-hour community forum on the Target controversy was held Oct. 11 at OB Rec Center.
Kimmy McGinley, described by some as one of the leaders of the “No Target in OB” protests, was on the megaphone at the Oct. 4 evening protest at Newport and Abbot, which drew about 50 people holding signs and chanting.
“I’ve lived in OB for 15 years and am strongly opposed to a Target coming to OB,” said Jon Winn. “I go to the Farmers Market weekly to gather signatures for the boycott, and I can tell you that the anti-Target sentiment is strong to the tune of about 50 signatures per hour, consistently.”
After the protest rally, supporters submitted a letter with 778 signatures to Target, OB Town Council – and anyone who would listen.
“Target has said they reserve the right to reconsider, and were taking the community's feedback,” said McGinley, who added the argument against the corporate chain coming to town is a matter of economics.
“A Target would be a tragedy, upsetting local mom-and-pop businesses,” McGinley said. “They can't compete with [Target's] prices, and they don't have their buying power. As local mom-and-pop businesses suffer, our local economy suffers. The money that would go into a Target would not stay in our community, but go to a Minnesota corporation legally bound to make money for their shareholders. They don't care about our community.”
Noting “landlords have done everything correct,” Tony Franco, of Tony Franco Realty Inc., who is brokering the Target negotiations, said during the long hunt for new tenants in the prime Newport Avenue commercial space that, “We brought this deal to all types of businesses including bowling alley operators, breweries and other grocery stores such as Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, and received many offers to lease only a small portion of the space.”
Franco said it would have been too expensive to split the building up into four-to-six different smaller tenants.

Karen Howes celebrates winning the stein holding contest moments before being named Ms. Oktoberfest 2017 and earning $400 cash. The Ocean Beach native, and Point Loma High grad, held the steins for six minutes, which was two minutes longer than the male winner. Howes is a trainer at World Gym. / Photo by Thomas Melville

As hurricanes Harvey and Irma destroyed lives, homes, businesses and property, the San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) served as first responders to an influx of animals transported from the devastated areas of Louisiana, Texas and Florida. The SDHS Special Response Teams, Emergency Response Teams and Animal Rescue Reserve Teams collaborated with rescue organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society of Naples to bring 200 rescue and shelter animals to San Diego, making room for evacuee’s lost, displaced and stranded pets.
“These pets are not direct victims,” said SDHS’ chief operating officer Jennifer Brehler. “They’re adoptable cats and dogs that were already in shelters near the affected areas that were transferred to San Diego to create room for hurricane victim pets – the lost, strayed, or abandoned. These healthy and socialized pets do not have owners who will be searching for them.”
According to Brehler, the upcoming news of Hurricane Harvey alerted SDHS to extend assistance and services to Houston’s SPCA and Florida shelters. “As the need grew, we along with other shelters, responded,” she said.
Seven San Diego Special Response Teams – comprised of staff and volunteers – were deployed to temporary shelters, Houston’s SPCA and Collier County Animal Services. San Diego’s Swift Water Rescue Team – San Diego Humane Law Enforcement and Animal Recuse Reserve – was also deployed. Trained in swift water and flood rescues, these professionals work along stateside task forces in emergency response situations.
Wings of Rescue flew pets from Louisiana and Florida to San Diego where staff and volunteers transported the animals to SDHS, the Rancho Coastal Humane Society and Labradors and Friends.
San Diego Humane Society’s president and CEO Gary Weitzman, explained that in addition to its Technical Rescue Team, shelter teams provided care to displaced dogs, cats, horses, pigs, cows, trapped livestock and even wildlife. Working tirelessly, teams “never hesitated” to respond to pleas to reunite pets with owners or to provide animals care and comfort.
“Working alongside animal welfare colleagues from organizations in Oregon, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas and Florida reminded me of the importance of coming together during times of such devastation – not just for animals in need but for people as well,” he said.
Weitzman’s team also helped pets in housing adjacent to a Florida shelter. The pets belonged to hospital patients and evacuees.
“Our team cared for the pets so owners would have the comfort of their pets during such a difficult time,” he continued. “Imagine losing your home and being worried about being able to keep your pet. I’m so glad our teams could provide that peace of mind to these hurricane victims.”
Weitzman added that Wings of Rescue flew 49 adoptable dogs and cats from Louisiana and Southeast Texas to Gillespie Field where staff and volunteers unloaded the creatures in temperatures topping 100 degrees.
Other heartwarming stories include a litter of kittens found amidst the storm rescued by Jackie Noble, SDHS Kitten Nursery supervisor, who nursed the eight kittens back to health while traveling back to San Diego in an RV.
Brehler said that volunteer training is essential for the ability to respond to such disasters.
“Disasters like hurricanes remind us that it takes more than one person or organization to come together and help out,” she said. “Our staff and volunteers are willing to pack up and hit the road immediately, while their colleagues backfill their work. Our staff and shelter volunteers made three transfers from Gillespie airport to the San Diego Campus. And, the community responded with crates and gifts.”
“We all knew the storms were coming,” continued Weitzman. “When it hit, we didn’t even wait for Houston SPCA to call us. We made plans to get on the road. We’re fortunate that the community of animal lovers and those whose professional lives support them are all one when it comes to helping people and animals in need. Thank you for being part of that community and helping us be there when others need us.”
Brehler stressed the importance of “generous” donations” in SDHS’s ability to participate in rescue efforts as such in “a moment’s notice.”
“Monetary or in-kind donations are always essential to ensure that we can continue to do the important work we do,” she said.
Weitzman also added that donor commitment to SDHS makes response possible. “You’re [donors] an enormous part of these collaborative efforts,” he added. “Your support during the tragedy of these hurricanes has been tremendous, making you a critical part of our rescue team.”
Relief efforts are far from over for all.
“Recovery will go on for months,” concluded Weitzman. “Many people have expressed concern about the care and support of animals affected by this disaster. When tragedy strikes we’re here for each other and for those 2,000 miles away as well.”
According to the SDHS, refuge adoptees will be spayed or neutered, administered current vaccines, microchipped, awarded a certificate for a free veterinary exam, along with 30 days of Trupanion pet insurance and a bag of Purina chow. Adoptions are based on a first come, first served. Carriers are required for pickup. Adoptions can be made at SDHS’s San Diego Campus, at 5500 Gaines St. and its Oceanside Campus at 572 Airport Road.
Brehler urges San Diegans to “spread the word about the wonderful pets looking for new homes.”
“Of course, adopting a pet allows us to continue to help even more animals in need,” she concluded.
All of the animals will remain in the care of the SDHS until adopted.

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